Well, I'm a decent amount of the way out of "stock" form.
First off, stats on the lift:
2.5" suspension (+.75 puck up front) + 1.25" body + 1" motor mount
Front left: body 4", bumper 2 7/8"
Front right: body 4", bumper 3 1/8"
Back left: body 3 3/4, bumper 2 1/2"
Back right: body 3 3/4, bumper 2 1/2"
Not bad, and not a surprise considering they replaced 9 year old stock springs/shocks.
Stock when I bought it last summer/fall:
Started the lift 03/29/2009 (yes, it took a while):
Stock height:
New setup with the body and suspension done:
I did run into a number of issues with my setup. Yes, it took me six weeks to complete becuase a) it's not my daily driver b) the only thing I've done on my jeep in the 9ish months I've owned it was change all the oils (and that was the first time I'd ever tried that before, zero auto maint/work experience) and c) most importantly, I have 4-5 month old twins. Literally it was an hour here, hour there.
Issues I ran into:
1) I broke the seal on my water pump. I loosened the fan shroud, but somehow it got wedged or something in the process.
2) It took me probably three hours to do the front driver side suspension. A combination of not having air tools, not being 100% sure what I was doing, not getting the spring compressors in a position that I could remove them after the spring was in, runs to sears to pickup more tools since I was missing some, etc. Note, the other three corners combined took less than the first, and the back was SIMPLE and almost didn't need a spring compressor (which I was surprised after many stated they had a harder time there). Having completed most of the suspension lift, I also broke down and got some air tools, and have been kicking myself over for not having them since the beginning now that I see how awesome they truly are.
3) The front stabilizer was an absolute pain. Piece of cake everyone says. Just hit it with a hammer everyone says. It'll pop right out they say... WROOOOONG. Broke one pit arm remover, bent another so that it wouldn't work. Ended up cutting off the end of the bolt, drilling it out, then repeatedly beating it over and over with a 5 pound sledge before it finally let go.
4) The stock swaybars were also an issue and wouldn't come free with the pit arm puller. I ended up removing the swaybar from the vehicle completely and beating it with a hammer (only took another 10-15 minutes).
5) I decided to just replace the water pump since I broke the seal, plus it had 75k on it I assume (looked stock and had a Chrysler logo). I ended up breaking one of the bolts off in the block during the reinstall of the pump (don't ask me how since I wasn't using air tools and was barely tightening it). As if removing a gasket and cleaning isn't a pain, do it twice, and in an awkward position...
I took it for the first drive in six weeks, and was very happy. The water pump is sealed successfully, no creeks or vibrations even though I skipped the tranny drop, no issues staying in gear (although I did remove the plastic square and boot before driving, probably do the leather boot upgrade)... Overall felt pretty smooth and nice to be in again.
Plenty of remaining items. CB purchase/install, paint/install the bumper (nate4x4), find some new shoes, etc.
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Rough Country 2.5 inch TJ lift kit.
